Actor & Creative

In Profile with Matthew Rowland

“Matthew Rowland may not have been part of the professional theatre scene for very long, but his career has gotten off to a flying start and he has achieved much in such a short space of time. This highly talented performer is certainly a name to look out for, and now he’s made it to the West End, theatre fans can only hope he will be a familiar face there for many more years to come.”

The Confession Room - Crazy Coqs

“Looney was also blessed with two of the evening’s stellar performers. Seasoned young star Matthew Rowland served his Excalibur 93 number very well, whilst Mollie Melia-Redgrave was a stunning Ditsy Blonde.”

Jonathan Baz

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Putting It Together - St James Theatre

★★★★★

“What a party, what a night. Matthew Rowland’s choreography is every bit as subtle as Alastair Knights’s direction.”

The Times

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If it only even runs a minute - Hippodrome

“Matthew Rowland’s “Let Me Walk Among You” from Bat Boy: The Musical is so emotional and delivered with such passion that it leaves barely a dry eye in the house. His performance is the best by miles.”

The Public Reviews

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The Confession Room Concept Album

“Matthew Rowland as Frank singing the aforementioned 'Excalibur93' is most definitely a highlight on the recording along with 'Second Chances' by Alex Gaumond as Tony - talk about saving the best till last!”

Darling of the Day - Union Theatre

“further support is provided by a lively cor-blimey chorus led by Matthew Rowland’s Alf, whose highlight is the big number Not On Your Nellie.”

The Stage

“Mention too for Matthew Rowland, who this reviewer saw only recently as Boy George in Taboo. The lad only has a modest supporting role, but his talent and presence are outstanding. Recently graduated, this remarkable young man is one to watch and he adds another dimension of quality to the show.”

What's Hecuba To Him?

Taboo - Brixton Club House

Nomination for Best Leading Actor In A Musical

Broadway World UK Awards

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“The star of the show is, rightly, George (Matthew Rowland, who has real poise and real cheekbones),whom we first encounter draped in a white sheet, sporting a silver centurion helmet with white feathers pluming out abundantly.”

London Evening Standard

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“The standout performance of the whole evening however is Matthew Rowland. What a professional debut! As Boy George, Rowland is spectacular. He embodies the star right down to the last detail and the audience lives through the whole story with him, from the high points of his career to the low points of drug-fuelled rage and heartbreak. I cannot fault his performance.”

LastMinuteTheatreTickets.com

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“Matthew Rowland quite simply IS Boy George. Making his professional debut, Rowland evokes the singer’s immediately recognisable look, style and affectation. He charts George’s rise to fame and drug fuelled collapse in a tour de force performance. For those old enough to remember the 80s, to look at Rowland is to step back in time.”

The Public Reviews

“Another new talent was Matthew Rowland, who is fresh from his training at The Arts Educational School. Rowland is the young Boy George whose career the show follows. The role of Boy George, if not careful, can quickly turn into a parody. But Rowland, who wasn’t even born when Culture Club came into prominence, was careful in keeping the integrity of Boy George in tact. The nuances that have become synonymous with the real Boy George were finely tuned so it felt like being transported back to 1981 rather than watching a cheap imitation in 2012.”

ARTINFO

“It's a dark tale, loosely set around the infamous and dangerous Taboo Club, in which debutant Matthew Rowland beautifully and tragically plays what comes across as a courageous, fragile and surprisingly aggressive young George O'Dowd.”

Morning Star

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“Matthew Rowland is spot on as Boy George who, he asserts, needs to be a star because he can’t be a man.”

Londonist

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BatBoy - ArtsEd Final Show

“As expected, my trip to Arts Ed to see Bat Boy, the follow up to the much raved (and officially reviewed) The Sweet Smell of Success was an utter joy. The soon to be graduates are already putting in knock out performances, particularly Alison Pope and Matthew Rowland.”